Testimonials
“I had a great time working with the FES team. They were super passionate, caring and easy to work with. I would work with FES again and I really enjoyed expanding their grant and funding database together. Their feedback was extremely helpful and important for our team of consultants.”
— Sarah YesnowitzBusiness Major | Rice University2028“Mi experiencia colaborando con la organización Friends of El Salvador ha sido muy positiva, ya que he tenido la oportunidad de apoyar con la creación y edición de contenido, así como asistir a algunos de sus eventos, los cuales han sido experiencias muy bonitas y enriquecedoras. En cada actividad he podido sentir el compromiso y la energía del equipo por apoyar a las comunidades a través de proyectos enfocados en la educación, la salud y el bienestar, lo que me ha motivado a seguir aportando con entusiasmo. Ser parte de la experiencia que me ofreció el equipo de Friends me ha permitido crecer tanto a nivel personal como académico, fortaleciendo mis habilidades como el trabajo en equipo, la comunicación y la creatividad.”
— Yohana VillalobosIngeniería en Sistemas y Redes Informáticas | Universidad Gerardo Barrios“As a team lead for Analytics, Consulting, and Technology at Rice, I collaborated with Dr. Juan Sorto and other members of the Friends of El Salvador board this semester on a pro-bono consulting project. Our goal was to develop organized grant and corporate outreach databases for Friends of El Salvador, and I led 4 other Rice students on this project. Throughout the semester, Friends of El Salvador was super cooperative and helpful, showing up on time to biweekly meetings and even taking time to join us in person at Rice for our midpoint presentation. Dr. Sorto was especially encouraging and provided useful suggestions while also ensuring the team knew that our work was making an impact. Friends of El Salvador was also very generous with getting us food and dedicating the grant writer's time to attending meetings with us. I personally had a very rewarding and educational experience working with Friends of El Salvador for several months, and I'm sure the rest of my team will say the same.”
— Lexi Xucomputer science and cognitive science, Double Major | Rice University2028“Working with a nonprofit organization like Friends of El Salvador was a truly wonderful and meaningful experience. It was inspiring to be surrounded by people who were deeply committed to making a positive difference and who approached their work with compassion, dedication, and purpose. Every task felt important because it contributed to a larger mission, and the sense of teamwork made the work both rewarding and motivating. Seeing the direct impact of our efforts on the community was incredibly fulfilling and reinforced the value of collaboration, service, and empathy. I enjoyed getting hands on experience and enjoyed getting to be creative. “
— Dominique EscobarMarketing Major | University of Houston-Downtown2026